Languages spoken in Mali
Africa · Capital: Bamako · Population 22 million
The official language of Mali is French. Bambara is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 46% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.1 million people. Bambara itself holds no official status in Mali, despite being the most widely spoken. After Bambara, the most widely spoken are French at 17% and Maasina Fulfulde at 7.7%. Bambara belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Bambara is not recorded in any of Mali's seven neighbours. In total, seven languages are recorded in Mali, and their shares add up to 84.6% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.8 of them.
What languages are spoken in Mali?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| BambaraNiger-Congo | 46% | Spoken | 10.1 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 17% | Official | 3.7 million |
| Maasina FulfuldeNiger-Congo | 7.7% | Spoken | 1.7 million |
| Soninke | 5.9% | Spoken | 1.3 million |
| Kita ManinkakanNiger-Congo | 5% | Spoken | 1.1 million |
| Tamashek | 2.1% | Spoken | 461,803 |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 0.9% | Spoken | 197,915 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Mali?
The official language of Mali is French. French is spoken by an estimated 17% of the population, or roughly 3.7 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Bambara is, at 46%.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Bambara in Mali?
An estimated 46% of Mali's 22 million people speak Bambara, which works out at roughly 10.1 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Mali
- Capital
- Bamako
- Population
- 22 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,240,192 km²
- Currency
- XOF
- Languages recorded
- 7
- Land borders
- 7
- ISO codes
- ML / MLI / 466
Which countries border Mali?
Mali shares a land border with seven countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. None of them records Bambara, the most widely spoken language in Mali, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.